Certain 2-(2'3'4'trisubstituted benzoyl)-1,3-cyclohexanedione herbicides are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,816,066, issued Mar. 28, 1989 and a U.S. application entitled 2-(2'methyl,3',4'-trisubstituted benzoyl)-1,3-cyclohexanediones, with Nhan H. Nguyen, inventor, filed herewith, and both incorporated herein by reference.
The above-described herbicidal compounds can have the following structural formula ##STR1## wherein R.sup.7 through R.sup.12 are hydrogen or C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl; R.sup.1 is C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl or C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 haloalkyl, --CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 OCH.sub.3, --CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 OC.sub.2 H.sub.5 Q is halogen (chlorine, bromine, iodine, or fluorine), nitro, or S(O).sub.n R.sup.2 wherein R.sup.2 is C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl; and n is the integer 0 or 2.
These herbicides can be prepared by reacting a dione of the structural formula ##STR2## wherein R.sup.7 through R.sup.12 are as defined with a mole of trisubstituted benzoyl chloride of the structural formula ##STR3## wherein R.sup.1 and Q are as defined above.